The Siege of Brest 1941: A Legend of Red Army Resistance on the Eastern Front

by Rostislav Aliev, Stuart Britton (Translator)

On 22 June 1941, soon after 3am, the first German shells smashed into the Soviet frontier fortress of Brest – Hitler’s Operation Barbarossa had begun. Across a massive front stretching from the Baltic to the Black Sea, the Wehrmacht advanced, taking the Red Army by surprise, brushing aside the first stunned resistance, breaking through and taking thousands of prisoners, but the isolated stronghold of Brest held out. The defenders trapped and without hope of relief, put up a tenacious resistance against an entire German division as the Soviet front collapsed behind them. The Germans had allowed twelve hours to secure the area, but it took them nine days. The heroic defense of Brest has become one of the legends of the Second World War on the Eastern Front, an example of selfless Soviet heroism in the face of Nazi aggression. Rotislav Aliev, in this gripping narrative, describes the fighting in vivid detail, hour by hour, and he strips away the myths and exaggerations that have grown up around this famous story.

Genres: Military Fiction, World War II

224 pages, Hardcover

First published September 19, 2013

Reviews

[Stephen Hackney]

The magnet that draws me into reading books about WWII Eastern Front is the very gritty, moment-to-moment, day-to-day traumatic experiences of the common soldier, whether he be a German Panzer Grenadier or a Russian artilleryman. This book captures the very essence of the impact of sudden shock, pain, death, struggle to overcome, to survive, for a drink of water, for an extra cartridge for one's carbine, to witness the individual heroism by those whose government wrote them off as cowards, whose names will never be known by their countrymen, yet such individuals fought knowing they would not survive the day, but resisted for the highest moral reasons: to protect their homeland, their families, to resist the invading hordes of an evil totalitarian dictatorship [albeit - sad irony that these young Russian heroes were living under a system even more heinous than Nazism]. The book captures the universal fears, tribulations, and faithful obedience to a system that all soldiers, irrespective of their nationhood, accept and follow. A powerful historical accounting of an event at the very opening of the German invasion of the Soviet Union in the early morning hours of June 22, 1941.

[Vic Lauterbach · Rating 5 out of 5]

This study is most valuable as a reference work on this battle but does include an excellent narrative. Mr. Aliev provides both context and the analysis needed to understand what happened and why the fall of this Polish fortress became a legendary saga of Russian heroism. Stalin's propagandists used the imagery of a small garrison defying the German juggernaut to promote fanatic resistance to the invaders. Mr. Aliev shows that inadequate planning and resources played a key role in hampering the German attack but the fierce resistance of the isolated defenders foreshadowed future battles where Russian defensive prowess would prevail. Highly recommended to anyone interested in WWII on the Eastern Front.

[Michael Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well written

Although the author is Russian he uses a very balanced and researched approach to this book. Once I started this book I found it difficult to put down.

[Mark Litarowich · Rating 4 out of 5]

Military History

Pretty good military history and very factual, but a bit dry at times. I read it to fill in my Moms history, as this was the battle that made her an orphan. I'm glad I finally know what happened in detail!